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Are you a woman with an active lifestyle, approaching her 40’s?  How is your health awareness?   Have you noticed that things like your memory, digestive health and energy level have changed since the twenty year old you was in town?  It is impossible to think that5 years ago I ran two full marathons, and all of the training that goes with that endeavor.

As a full time DIY blogger, wife, step mom, doggie momma and caretaker of my grandparents, and avid runner to name a few things, I need all the help I can get maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  As I age, I have to supplement my diet to stay on top of things physically, mentally and emotionally.

Thankfully, Walgreens is just the spot for my women’s health needs.  I can score my vitamins and supplements in a snap, for great prices.

#HerHealth #CollectiveBias

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 My top 5 habits for staying energetic, alert, focused and healthy are:

1.  Lots of water.  So much water.  My mom got me on a water kick recently.  Before she stepped in, I was all about coffee and diet soda.  Now I am drinking 70-80 ounces of water daily.  At first, I would just chug from my water bottle and get it over with, but now I enjoy and even crave the stuff.  I feel more energetic and have better skin!  I am sure my kidneys are happier too.

2.  Omega-3-Fatty Acids.  I swear that can see a notable increase in my ability to remember things, like names of people I meet, when I consistently take daily fish oil supplements.  These essential fatty acids are not made by the body and therefore must be ingested.  We need them for optimal health!

3.  Women’s Daily Vitamin – Ok, so they are gummies.  Don’t judge.  They still contain vitamin D and Calcium for women’s bone health.  These help me cover all bases when I may be skewed one way or another with my diet.

4.  Digestive Health Probiotic Supplement – Years of eating like a rabbit and on the go have decreased the “good bacteria” in my stomach that aid in digesting what I need from my food.  The result is super unpleasant and includes bloating, irregularity and poor nutrition.   It is important for us ladies with crazy schedules to get the most out of those times we do stop to eat.  That is where probiotics come to the rescue.  They replace the helpful bacteria and improve digestion of nutrients and regularity.  Bye bye bloating!

5.  Sweat, everyday.  Get my heart rate up for at least 30 minutes.   For me, this comes from running, which I wouldn’t feel like doing much at all without 1-4!

No marathons are in my calendar this year, but I am tackling an obstacle, muddy 5k, which is a first for me!  What are your healthy habits?   Do you participate in races?

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It is swimsuit time again.  If eating could help you get rid of fat, would that be interesting to you?  Well, with certain vitamin packed foods, it can.  Dr. Oz recently aired a show on foods that you can add to your diet that will decrease fat absorption or increase its metabolism, getting rid of it so you don’t carry it with you!   Here are 5 simple additions to your diet that will help flush out the fat.
CHIA SEED
Dolvett Quince, trainer from The Biggest Loser, shared a Chia seed cocktail that deceases fat absorption.  You just add water, a splash of lemon juice, a couple of tablespoons of chia seed and agave to sweeten.  Great for re-hydrating after excercise while incorporating high fiber, fat absorbing chia.

PUMPKIN SEEDS

Add these to salad and meat dishes.  They are high in protein, zinc and all the things you need to flush, as well as MG for muscle health .  Have one cup a few times each week for results.

DAIKON

Daikon is a member of the radish family that is high in fiber, vitamin C, phosphorus and potassium. It is common in Asian cuisine and speeds up the body’s metabolism of carbs and fat.   Add it to salads, soups, and anywhere you would use traditional radishes.

QUINOA

Quinoa looks like a mix between couscous and rice and is a versitile food that can be added to endless dishes.  It is high protein and vitamins, has a lower glycemic index that other whole grains, and has been proven to decrease appetite.  This quinoa, chicken, tomato salad recipe is a great way to incorporate this into your diet.

2 cups chicken stock
2 tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh mint
2 tbsp olive oil
2 celery ribs
3 garlic cloves
2 chicken breasts

WATERMELON

I saved my favorite for last. Eating watermelon is known to aid in weight loss help strengthen the immune system.  This is good news if you love like we do in our house!

What are you doing to stay fit this summer?

Dr. Oz has issued a 10 lb weight loss challenge that is straightforward and doable.  The payout for the effort put into these steps will be huge, not just for the waist line, but for overall health and longevity.  As always, Dr. Oz channels his medical expertise into an understandable, life enhancing plan we could all stand to incorporate into our daily routines.

THE RULES (or suggestions, if you don’t like to be told what to do):

• Bye bye to soda – We are talking the high fructose corn syrup kind here, attributed to tooth decay, diabetes and more.
• No food after 3 hours til bed time – Got it?
• 10 minutes of motion a day – This seems low to me, but that is what he says.  Walking, throwing a frisbee, playing with kiddos…
• Portion control – No forbidden foods?  I like that.  His rule of thumb is no snacks larger than your fist… sorry Big Mac.
• Get on that scale everyday – accountability is key; track weight = lose weight (ok, not if it is the only thing you do, but it helps)
• Take Vitamin B complex everyday – B vitamins are essential in metabolizing food, and in energy production to help you keep going.
• Take daily vitamins – This should include Calcium (600 mg, plus 600 mg from food) and Magnesium (400 mg) for bone strength,  Vitamin D3 (1,000 IU taken with DHA) for memory and heart health, DHA (900 mg) for memory, vision, heart and prevention of strokes, Probiotics spore form for decreased inflammation and enhanced immunity and a Multivitamin to cover what your diet misses.
• Healthy recipe planning – Dr. Oz provides a host of healthy recipes to keep your calories low, many with a budget in mind.
• Know serving sizes and how many you can have of each family – There has got to be an app for this, right?  This plan allows 10 servings a day as follows;  Protein and fats 4 servings daily, Complex carbs 3 servings, Fruits 3 servings and Veggies unlimited.  The unlimited veggies help keep you from being hungry (in theory).  The important thing to keep in mind here is how much of whatever you are eating = a serving size.  Did you know that the 1 serving of cheese is the size of 2 dice?  Yikes.  I am at least a 5 dice kind of gal.  Get informed.  There are ample resources available to help you get on the level with serving sizes.
• Don’t get too hungry – If you do, you are more likely to binge.  Make sure your meals have plenty of protein and fiber (complex carbohydrates), so you stay full longer.  Healthy snacks between meals are great too.

Remember holiday and party pitfalls, and take steps to guard against falling off the wagon:  Don’t go to parties or shopping hungry, have accountability partners in your life, no snacks/desserts larger than your fist, etc.  if the food at an event is going to be too tempting, you can opt out of going . Do what you have to do.  Commit.

What has worked for you?  What has not?

Today’s Dr. Oz show was packed full of  simple, doable ways to propel the body’s metabolism into high gear.  Turning 35 soon, I was all ears.  I have noticed I can’t get away with as much midnight ice cream as I use to enjoy, and that is just not o.k.  Three ways to easily increase body’s ability to burn fat caught my ear, and that is what I am sharing with you today.  Every little bit helps, right?!

• Every morning at breakfast drink the following concoction:
  2 Tbsp tomato Juice.
  1/2 Tsp Horseradish.
  Dash of hot sauce.
  Squeeze of lime.

This is packed with powerful antioxidants to blast belly fat and rich in metabolism-boosters vitamin C and limonene.

• At lunch, replace soda with Kombucha Wonder Drink, which costs $3.00.

This bubbly tea is available at natural food stores and contains oolong tea which helps protect your liver so it can concentrate on metabolizing fat

• At night, combine a spicy red wine, ice chips, and a bit of mint.

The wine helps you relax and boosts metabolism for up to 95 minutes.  Adding ice chips to your red wine makes your body to burn extra calories since it takes energy to warm the drink to body temperature. The mint’s scent has been shown to stave off late-night hunger.

With the gorgeous spring weather, the desire to be fit for summer clothes and bathing suits goes into full drive.  I must admit, I have really let myself go in terms of fitness this year.  The last few weeks have seen me hitting the pavement, with a much slower pace than I am use to, and some labored breathing.  I am a runner, and also tend to be insanely somewhat competitive, particularly with myself.  Since I am nowhere near the pace I was 2 years ago, I am grabbing any tips I can to help me get the most of my time at the gym and outdoors.  Here are some tips I picked up at the gym over the weekend.  Some of them I knew, but others I had no idea.  Time to go buy myself some peppermint…

The smell of peppermint makes people feel more vigorous and less frustrated while exercising.

Apples are more effective at keeping people awake than a cup of coffee.

Playing with your children or grandchildren for an hour burns as many calories as walking briskly for an hour.  One is more fun.

Eating small snacks between meals helps you eat less and prevents overeating/binging.

Exercise prevents heart disease, stroke and type II diabetes.

One beer = 15 minutes of continuous jumproping.

Eating spicy food 1-2 hours before exercising can increase your metabolism as much as 50%.

The average American consumes 45 gallons of soda per year, which is equal to 21 lbs of body fat.